BAPTISTS  IN  EUROPE 


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First  Baptist  Church  at  Gelsenkirchen,  Germany 


AMERICAN  BAPTIST  FOREIGN  MISSION 

SOCIETY 


27 6  Fifth  Avenue 


New  York 


Baptists  in  Europe 

A  Survey  of  Baptist  progress  in  Europe  in  (fountries 
with  the  Baptists  of  which  Northern  Baptists 
in  the  United  States  maintain 
cooperative  relationships 

BAPTISTS  from  every  continent  on  earth  gathered  at 
Toronto,  Canada,  in  June,  1928,  to  attend  the  Fourth  World 
Congress  of  the  Baptist  World  Alliance.  The  attention  of 
that  great  company  of  6,000  delegates  was  drawn  in  a  particular 
way  to  Europe  during  the  past  year,  when  through  a  world-wide 
petition  they  supported  Dr.  J.  H.  Rushbrooke  as  he  carried  to 
successful  completion  the  task  of  securing  religious  liberty  for 
the  persecuted  Baptists  of  Roumania.  The  year  1928  was  marked 
by  another  event,  staged  in  Europe,  but  having  significance  for 
every  Baptist,  in  whatever  country  he  may  live.  On  March  10,  at 
Vienna,  Austria,  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  martyr¬ 
dom  of  Balthazar  Hubmaier  and  his  wife  was  fittingly  celebrated. 
The  great  Anabaptist  reformer  was  burned  at  the  stake  for  his 
faith,  and  three  days  later  his  wife  was  drowned  in  the  Danube 
River.  Among  the  people  throughout  the  world  who  claim  these 
martyrs  as  their  spiritual  ancestors  in  a  special  sense  are  nearly  a 
million  and  a  half  of  Baptists  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 


Dr.  J.  H.  Franklin,  of  New  York,  Rev.  J.  By strom,  of 
Stockholm,  Dr.  J.  H.  Rushbrooke,  of  London,  Rev.  C. 
Handiges,  of  Berlin,  and  Rev.  F.  C.  F ullbrandt ,  of  Vienna, 
zvith  memorial  wreaths  on  the  site  where  Balthazar  Hub¬ 
maier  zcas  burned  at  the  stake. 


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American  Baptists  and  European  Baptists 

Within  the  last  hundred  years  groups  have  emerged  in  many 
sections  of  Europe,  usually  plain  people  with  the  New  Testament 
as  their  inspiration,  who  have  dared  to  fight  for  those  principles 
for  which  our  own  forefathers  sufifered  in  England  and  in  Amer¬ 
ica.  These  small  bands  in  Europe,  who  took  the  name  Baptist, 
often  found  themselves  persecuted  by  the  government  or  the  state 
church,  or  by  both.  The  stories  of  imprisonment,  exile,  and  other 
forms  of  persecution  of  those  who  fought  for  religious  freedom 
and  other  principles  dear  to  our  people  moved  the  heart  of  the 
denomination.  Beginning  in  1832,  American  Baptists,  first  through 
the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  and  later,  also, 
through  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society  and  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  began  to  have 
fellowship  with  the  Baptists  of  Europe  and  have  gladly  helped  to 
pour  oil  into  the  torches  of  the  indigenous  and  autonomous  bodies 
of  Europe  who  are  standing  bravely  for  principles  essential  to 
mankind’s  truest  progress. 

Baptist  Growth  in  Continental  Europe 

A  few  figures  to  illustrate  the  remarkable  numerical  growth  of 
the  denomination  in  continental  Europe  will  be  of  interest.  These 
refer  only  to  the  mainland ;  the  British  Isles  are  not  included.  The 
figures  are,  of  course,  merely  approximate : 

In  the  year  of  Waterloo  (1815)  there  was  no  Baptist  church  on 
the  mainland  of  Europe. 

In  1850  there  were  about  4,000  church  members. 

In  1900  the  number  had  risen  to  about  220,000. 

In  1928  members  of  Baptist  churches  number  at  least  1,300,000 
and  perhaps  more,  for  the  membership  is  growing  rapidly. 

Such  figures,  with  the  accelerated  rate  of  growth  in  recent  years, 
amply  justify  the  description  of  the  Baptist  movement  in  Europe 
as  “the  most  significant  spiritual  fact  of  our  time.” 

Baptists  in  Sweden 

Sea  captain  G.  W.  Schroeder  and  seaman  F.  O.  Nilson  were 
among  the  first  of  the  Swedish  people  who  began  to  voice  in 
Sweden  the  doctrines  which  the  Baptists  believe  to  be  according 
to  Bible  teachings.  Both  had  been  converted  in  America.  The 
former  was  baptized  in  1844  in  the  Baptist  Mariners’  Church  in 
New  York,  while  the  latter  was  baptized  in  1847  by  Rev.  |.  G. 
Oncken  in  Hamburg. 

The  first  Baptist  church  in  Sweden  was  organized  in  1848,  and 
F.  O.  Nilson  became  its  pastor.  Persecution  was  severe  against 
the  first  Swedish  Baptists.  In  1850  Pastor  Nilson  was  sentenced 
to  banishment  and  lived  mostly  in  America  till  1860,  when  he  was 
permitted  to  return  to  Sweden. 


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During  the  first  decade  after  Pastor  Nilson  had  been  exiled, 
Baptists  in  Sweden  received  much  sympathy  from  believers  in 
other  lands,  and  especially  from  England,  where  Dr.  Edward 
Stearne,  Secretary  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  was  much  inter¬ 
ested  in  the  cause  of  Swedish  Baptists. 

Soon  the  Baptists  of  America,  through  the  American  Baptist 
Publication  Society  and  the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society,  came  to  help  the  work  in  Sweden.  A  special  instrument 
in  the  hand  of  God  to  promote  the  Baptist  cause  was  Rev.  A. 
Wiberg,  formerly  a  priest  in  the  state  church.  One  of  the  chief 
reasons  why  Swedish  Baptists  grew  so  rapidly  was  that,  at  the 
very  beginning,  the  denomination  was  fortunate  in  having  several 
well-educated,  consecrated  leaders.  Another  important  reason  was 
that  they  early  established  a  good  theological  school,  “Betelsemi- 
nariet”,  in  Stockholm.  Since  1866  that  school  has  educated  many 
hundreds  of  Swedish  Baptist  ministers.  The  late  Dr.  K.  O.  Broady 
was  its  founder  and  one  of  its  tutors  for  more  than  50  years.  At 
the  present  time  Dr.  N.  J.  Nordstrom  is  the  president. 

The  denomination  has  its  own  Publication  Society.  Several 
papers  are  published,  among  them  Wecko-Posten ,  the  official  organ 
of  the  Swedish  Baptists.  One  hundred  and  twenty-seven  mis¬ 
sionaries  from  Sweden  are  at  work  in  six  different  countries.  The 
Young  People’s  Union  is  growing  and  now  has  a  membership  of 
31,493.  Junior  societies  are  proving  successful. 

In  1856  there  were  21  Baptist  churches  in  Sweden,  with  986 
members,  and  there  were  339  Sunday  school  pupils.  By  1896,  the 
numbers  had  increased  to  555  churches,  38,094  members  and 
40,924  Sunday  school  pupils.  In  1927  there  were  685  churches, 
with  62,085  members,  and  there  were  61,925  pupils  in  the  Sunday 
schools. 

Statistical  Survey 
685  organized  churches 
835  church  buildings 
62,085  church  members 

501  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
1,316  Sunday  schools 
61,925  Sunday  school  pupils 
3,352  baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Norway 

A  Danish  sailor,  F.  L.  Rymker,  was  converted  and  baptized  in 
Mariners’  Temple  Baptist  Church  in  New  York  City.  In  1857  he 
came  to  Norway  from  Denmark  as  a  colporter,  and,  in  1860, 
organized  the  first  Baptist  church  near  the  city  of  Skien.  A  Nor¬ 
wegian  sailor,  G.  Hubert,  was  converted  and  baptized  in  the 
Seamen’s  Bethel,  Boston.  After  service  in  the  Civil  War  of  the 
United  States,  he  returned  to  Norway,  and  began  to  preach  in  the 
southern  and,  later,  in  the  western  part  of  the  country,  where  he 
organized  a  church  at  Bergen.  Several  years  later,  he  went  to 


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Teachers  and  students  at  the  Oslo  Baptist  Seminary,  Norzvay 


England  and  persuaded  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  to  support 
the  cause  of  Baptists  in  Norway.  In  more  recent  years,  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  has  furnished  assistance.  In 
1863  a  blacksmith,  O.  B.  Hansson,  came  from  Sweden.  After 
several  years  of  work  with  Olaf  Larsson,  also  of  Sweden,  the 
first  Baptist  church  north  of  the  Arctic  Circle  was  organized  in 
1870.  There  are  now  twelve  Baptist  churches  north  of  the  Arctic 
Circle,  with  a  membership  of  over  1,100.  The  total  Baptist  mem¬ 
bership  in  Norway  is  now  5,021.  Between  1876  and  1884,  Nor¬ 
wegian  preachers  were  trained  at  the  Bethel  Seminary  in  Stock¬ 
holm.  From  1884  to  1910  they  received  their  training  in  the 
United  States,  while,  since  1910,  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Oslo,  organized  in  that  year,  has  been  sending  out  its  graduates 
into  the  churches.  This  institution  now  has  two  instructors  and 
eighteen  students.  Norwegian  Baptists  have  established  a  Sea¬ 
men’s  Home  for  deep  sea  fishermen  at  Honningsvaag,  north  of 
the  Arctic  Circle.  This  contains  a  chapel,  restaurant,  hospital, 
social  rooms  and  accommodations  for  a  missionary  family  and 
several  nurses. 

Statistical  Survey 

46  organized  churches 
56  places  for  regular  meetings 
5,133  church  members 

37  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
51  Sunday  schools 
4,405  Sunday  school  pupils 
229  baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Denmark 

In  1839  a  Danish-speaking  Baptist  missionary  came  from  Ham¬ 
burg,  Germany,  to  Copenhagen,  and  there  found  a  small  group 
of  believers,  who  already,  by  reading  the  Bible,  had  become  ready 
for  baptism.  In  that  same  year  the  first  Baptist  church  in  Den¬ 
mark  was  organized  in  Copenhagen.  At  once  a  storm  of  opposi¬ 
tion  and  persecution  broke  out.  Baptists  in  England  and  America 


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made  representations  to  the  Danish  government — the  English  by 
sending  Rev.  T.  E.  Giles  of  Leeds  and  Rev.  H.  Dowson  of 
Bradford  and  the  Americans  by  sending  Dr.  Hockett  and  Dr. 
Conaut  as  a  deputation  to  Copenhagen.  It  was  not  until  several 
years  later,  in  1845,  that  the  Danish  people  secured  a  new  consti¬ 
tution  with  religious  liberty.  This  was  of  tremendous  value  to 
Baptists.  The  established  state  church  is  very  strong  in  Denmark 
and,  in  the  past,  Baptists  have  had  to  struggle  with  great  opposi¬ 
tion  from  that  church.  Nevertheless,  the  Baptist  cause  has  grown 
rapidly.  In  the  last  five  years  the  little  group  of  Baptists  in  Den¬ 
mark  has  baptized  more  than  1,400  believers.  The  American  Bap¬ 
tist  Foreign  Mission  Society  assists  in  education. 

Statistical  Survey 
31  churches 

190  places  for  regular  meetings 
5,659  church  members 

34  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
103  Sunday  schools 
5,962  Sunday  school  pupils 
160  baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Esthonia 

The  Baptist  Mission  in  Esthonia  is  one  of  the  most  recent  in 
Europe.  It  is  only  about  fifty  years  ago  that  the  first  Baptist 
church  was  organized.  During  this  half  century,  Baptists  in  this 
little  country  have  been  constantly  persecuted  and  without  rights 
in  the  world.  Scarcely  any  of  the  leading  men  have  escaped  the 
chains  of  imprisonment,  banishment  or  some  other  punishment  for 
the  sake  of  the  gospel.  As  a  result  of  the  Russian  Revolution, 
Esthonia  secured  her  existence  as  a  free  state,  with  complete 


President  Adam  Podin  and  students  at  the  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at 
Kegel,  Esthonia.  Note  the  portrait  of  President  Harding 


religious  liberty  a  governing  principle  of  the  new  administration. 
English,  Canadian  and  Northern  Baptists  came  to  the  aid  of 
Esthonian  Baptists  in  their  deep  need,  and  have  helped  support 
the  seminary,  which  was  opened  at  Kegel  in  1922.  Sixteen 
students  were  enrolled  at  the  seminary  in  1926,  and  18  graduates 
were  at  work  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

N tatistical  Survey 

40  organized  churches 
58  places  for  regular  meetings 
5,358  church  members 

40  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
50  Sunday  schools 
2,246  Sunday  school  pupils 
335  baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Latvia 

The  first  baptism  in  Latvia  took  place  secretly  on  the  night  of 
September  9,  1861.  Rev.  A.  Gaertner,  one  of  the  Lettish  pioneers, 
who  had  traveled  to  Germany  and  had  there  been  baptized,  per¬ 
formed  the  ordinance  in  the  river  Sirjen.  On  this  occasion  72 


One  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  Riga,  Latvia 

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persons  were  baptized.  Following  the  ordinance  in  the  river,  these 
new  Baptists  celebrated  the  Lord’s  Supper.  This  encouraging 
beginning  brought  on  much  persecution,  as  Latvia  was  then  a 
part  of  the  Great  Empire  of  Russia.  In  1879  the  Baptists  of  the 
Baltic  States  were  recognized  by  the  government  as  an  independent 
religious  community.  The  printing  of  literature  for  Baptists  of 
Latvia  first  became  a  successful  enterprise  under  Rev.  J.  A.  Frey, 
the  leader,  also,  in  a  remarkable  development  of  evangelization. 
Foreign  mission  work  was  systematically  undertaken  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  this  century.  The  war  brought  disaster.  In  1916,  meet¬ 
ings  were  forbidden  and  Baptist  leaders  were  banished.  In  the 
days  of  rebuilding  since  the  war,  Baptists  of  the  Northern  Con¬ 
vention,  of  Britain  and  of  Canada  have  helped,  and  their  assistance 
has  made  it  possible  to  open  the  Seminary  at  Riga,  which,  in  1926, 
enrolled  18  students.  In  four  years  the  Seminary  Church  at  Riga 
grew  in  membership  from  28  to  213. 

Statistical  Survey 
89  organized  churches 
133  places  for  regular  meetings 
9,288  church  members 
130  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
112  Sunday  schools 
4,498  Sunday  school  pupils 
354  baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Czechoslovakia 

The  pioneer  founder  of  the  Baptist  mission  in  Czechoslovakia 
was  Henry  Novotny,  born  in  1846,  in  the  east  of  Roumania. 
Originally  a  Roman  Catholic,  he  came  into  contact  with  Protes¬ 
tants  in  their  secret  meetings  when  he  was  a  boy  of  twelve.  He 
was  converted  at  the  age  of  twenty  and  then  went  to  Switzerland 
and  New  College,  Edinburgh  to  study  theology.  The  first  Baptist 
church  was  organized  at  Hledsebe,  near  Prague,  in  1885,  with 
sixteen  members  and  with  Henry  Novotny  as  its  pastor.  From 
this  city  the  movement  spread  throughout  the  country.  So  long 
as  Czechoslovakia  was  part  of  Austria-Hungary,  Baptists  were 
persecuted  and  the  movement  carried  on  very  slowly.  Baptisms 
took  place  at  night,  members  were  imprisoned  and  Bible  distribu¬ 
tion  was  not  permitted.  The  political  freedom  of  Czechoslovakia 
following  the  war,  and  its  accompanying  religious  liberty,  has  been 
followed  by  a  widespread  religious  movement.  Multitudes  of 
Czechoslovaks  who  remembered  that  the  nation  was  originally 
Protestant  (John  Hus),  but  Romanized  by  Austria,  left  the 
Roman  Church.  This  presents  a  great  opportunity  for  evangelical 
Christianity.  Assistance  is  now  furnished  the  Baptist  cause  by  the 
American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  and  the  British  Baptist 
Continental  Committee.  Before  the  war,  German,  Scottish  and 
English  Baptists,  as  well  as  the  Northern  Convention  in  America, 
had  rendered  help.  A  Seminary  was  established  in  Prague  in  1921. 


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A  recent  Baptist  conference  at  Miloslava,  Czechoslovakia 


Statistical  Survey 

25  organized  churches 
159  places  for  regular  meetings 
2,621  church  members 

27  ordained  and  unordainecl  preachers 
64  Sunday  schools 
1,500  Sunday  school  pupils 
120  baptisms  in  1926 

Baptists  in  Germany 

The  mission  work  of  the  German  Baptists  was  started  in  1834. 
On  April  22  of  that  year  Prof.  Barnas  Sears  of  Hamilton  College, 
now  Colgate  University,  baptized  the  first  seven  Baptists  in  the 
Elbe  River  near  Hamburg,  and  on  the  next  day  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  Hamburg  was  organized,  with  Rev.  J.  G.  Oncken  as  its 
pastor.  Besides  Pastor  Oncken,  the  work  soon  had  excellent 
leaders  in  Rev.  J.  Ivobner  and  Rev.  G.  W.  Lehmann.  Under  the 
blessings  of  the  Lord  the  churches  grew  rapidly.  Severe  persecu¬ 
tions  on  the  part  of  the  public  authorities  and  of  the  state  church 
could  not  hinder  their  development.  It  was  not  until  1848  that  the 
Baptist  churches  were  recognized  by  the  authorities.  An  active 
missionary  zeal  has  characterized  all  the  churches.  Besides  a  staff 
of  well-trained  workers,  there  are  hundreds  of  voluntary  helpers 
in  the  churches.  The  work  in  Germany  became  the  starting  point 
for  Baptist  missions  in  Denmark,  Holland,  Sweden,  Poland, 
Austria,  Hungaria,  the  Baltic  Provinces  and  Switzerland.  The 
foreign  mission  field  of  the  German  Baptists,  especially  in  the 
Cameroons,  made  excellent  progress,  and  was  abundantly  blessed 
by  God.  The  work  of  the  Sunday  schools,  the  Young  People’s 
Association  and  the  Deaconess  Homes  has  been  another  fruitful 


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development.  For  many  years  the  work  was  helped  by  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  which  is  now  aiding  students 
in  the  Hamburg  Seminary.  Sixty  students  were  here  enrolled 
in  1926. 

The  war  naturally  interfered  seriously  with  Baptist  develop¬ 
ment.  While  revolution  brought  greater  religious  liberty,  economic 
conditions  following  the  war  have  made  rapid  progress  difficult. 
The  first  Baptist  hospital  was  opened  in  Hamburg  in  1926. 

Statistical  Survey 

282  organized  churches 
970  places  for  regular  meetings 
63,165  church  members 

320  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
758  Sunday  schools 
34,783  Sunday  school  pupils 
3,213  baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Lithuania 

In  1860,  several  Lithuanians  living  on  the  German  side  of  their 
frontier  were  baptized  and  received  into  the  fellowship  of  a 
German  Baptist  church  in  Memel.  Efforts  to  extend  the  work 
into  Lithuania  proper,  under  the  leadership  of  Albrecht,  met  with 
such  opposition  that  Memelland  continued  to  be  the  scene  of 
greatest  development  for  Lithuanian  Baptists.  Since  the  war, 
Memelland  has  been  transferred  to  Lithuania.  A  German-speak¬ 
ing  Baptist  church  developed  in  the  capital  city  of  Ivowno.  Mission 
work  was  commenced  there  in  1879  and  an  independent  church 
was  organized  in  1889.  Among  the  refugees  and  released  prisoners 
who  returned  to  Lithuania  after  the  war  were  a  number  of  Bap¬ 
tists  who  had  been  converted  in  central  Russia  or  in  German  prison 
camps.  Rev.  Th.  Gerikas  is  engaged  in  evangelistic  work  in  Lith¬ 
uania,  with  the  support  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society.  Work  is  carried  on  among  Lithuanians,  Letts,  Germans 
and  Russians.  A  missionary  society  has  been  formed.  German 
Baptists  of  America  make  possible  the  employment  of  two  col- 
porter-evangelists. 

Statistical  Survey 

11  organized  churches 
37  places  for  regular  meetings 
1,035  church  members 

5  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 
17  Sunday  schools 
568  Sunday  school  pupils 
36  Baptisms  in  1927 

Baptists  in  Poland 

Baptist  progress  in  Poland  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  movement 
which  began  with  the  baptism  of  J.  G.  Oncken  and  others  in  Ger- 


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many  in  1834.  In  1851  evangelistic  efforts  were  made  by  German 
Baptists  on  behalf  of  their  fellow  countrymen,  who  had  settled  in 
the  south  and  west  of  Russia,  especially  in  that  area  which  now 
comprises  the  Republic  of  Poland.  On  November  28,  1858,  nine 
persons  were  baptized  at  Adamow.  Most  of  tbe  organized  Baptist 


12 


churches  in  Poland  have  come  into  existence  since  1905,  when 
the  Government  Edict  of  Toleration  went  into  effect,  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  which,  in  so  far  as  it  relates  to  freedom  of  worship,  have 
been  continued  by  the  new  Polish  Government.  The  largest 
Baptist  church  in  Poland  is  at  Lodz.  The  first  small  groups  of 
graduates  from  the  Seminary  at  Lodz  began  this  work  in  1926. 
Since  1924  a  separate  Slavic  Baptist  Union  has  been  maintained. 
The  work  is  aided  by  Northern  Baptists  and  German  Baptists  in 
the  United  States.  There  are  about  14,000  Baptists  in  Poland. 
About  7,000  of  these  are  German-speaking,  organized  in  two  asso¬ 
ciations.  About  7,000  are  Slavs.  Lew  of  the  Slav  churches  have 
buildings. 

Statistical  Survey 

30  organized  churches 
5  places  for  regular  meetings 
2,266  church  members 

18  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 

19  Sunday  schools 
487  baptisms  in  1926 


The  recently  erected  Baptist  church  at  Lens,  France 


Baptists  in  France 

Lrance  is  a  land  of  exceptional  interest  to  Baptists.  It  has 
numerous  baptisteries,  some  of  which  date  back  to  the  fourth  cen¬ 
tury,  and  it  can  also  boast  of  having  given  birth  to  the  Waldensian 
and  Albigensian  movements,  of  having  witnessed  the  labors  and 
sufferings  of  precursors  like  Henri  de  Lausanne  and  Peter  Bruys, 
and  of  having  lent  the  protection  of  its  eastern  mountains  to  per¬ 
secuted  Anabaptists.  Baptist  views  were  in  the  trend  of  the 
Lrench  Reformation  and  stern  repression  alone  averted  the  ulti¬ 
mate  results  involved  in  that  great  movement.  The  earliest  modern 


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Baptist  movement  appeared  in  French  Flanders.  Some  25  years 
afterwards,  American  Baptists  began  to  cooperate  financially.  The 
history  of  the  work  has  been  one  of  quiet  heroism  in  the  face  of 
Romanist  and  governmental  persecution,  and  of  faithful  labor 
amidst  extraordinary  practical  difficulties.  No  field  in  the  world 
has  suffered  greater  havoc  through  the  war. 

Because  of  their  community  of  language  and  interests,  the 
frontier  Baptist  fields  of  Belgium  and  Switzerland  were  incor¬ 
porated  in  the  French  Baptist  Associations,  and  have  been  included 
in  the  statistics.  Baptist  churches  were  pioneers  in  Daily  Vacation 
Bible  School  work  in  France,  maintaining  six  schools  in  1926. 

Statistical  Survey 

25  organized  churches 

50  places  for  regular  meetings 
1,235  church  members 

26  ordained  and  unordained  preachers 

42  Sunday  schools 

1,200  Sunday  school  pupils 

87  baptisms  in  1926 

Baptists  in  Russia 

The  Baptist  movement  in  Russia  is  also  an  outgrowth  of  the 
movement  which  began  with  the  baptism  of  J.  G.  Oncken  and 
others  in  Germany  in  1834.  Many  difficulties  were  encountered 
in  the  early  years,  and  the  first  Baptist  church  of  worship  in  Russia 
was  not  built  until  1872.  In  1888,  when  the  regulations  of  the 
Russian  Government  prohibited  the  carrying  on  of  religious  work 
in  the  name  of  foreign  organizations,  the  Baptists  in  Russia  with¬ 
drew  from  the  German  Baptist  Union  and  formed  an  organization 
of  their  own. 

The  first  movement  originated  among  the  peasants  in  the  south. 
Another  movement,  under  English  influence  and  later  labelled 
“Evangelical  Christian”  first  appeared  in  Petrograd.  Though  the 
two  groups  formed  separate  organizations,  they  held  to  the  same 
principles  and  form  of  church  government,  and  are  now  united  in 
the  All-Russian  Baptist  Union. 

Owing  to  conditions  in  Russia,  it  is  not  yet  possible  to  state 
definitely  the  progress  made  by  Baptists  in  that  country  in  recent 
years.  In  1923,  however,  according  to  a  Russian  statesman’s 
declaration,  baptized  believers  made  up  a  community  of  at  least 
three  and  a  half  millions. 

Bible  distribution  has  offered  a  fruitful  form  of  cooperation  in 
the  Russian  work  for  American  Baptists.  An  event  of  great  sig¬ 
nificance  took  place  in  1927.  In  May  of  that  year  a  permit  was 
granted  to  the  Baptist  Union  to  establish  a  preachers’  school  in 
Moscow.  An  old  building  in  the  center  of  the  city  was  found  and 
leased  from  the  Government  for  forty  years.  Here  on  December 
1,  1927,  the  preachers’  school  was  opened  with  about  fifty  students. 


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Baptist  church  in  Lipt.  Sv.  Mikulas, 
Czechoslovakia 


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Published  by 

THE  BOARD  OF  MISSIONARY  COOPERATION 
OF  THE  NORTHERN  BAPTIST  CONVENTION 
276  Fifth  Avenue  New  York  City 


